Tigers chip away before Cabrera caps walk-off

JustinVerlander35 · Apr 12, 2011

Jim Leyland took responsibility for the Tigers' slow start Tuesday morning, but he also said they wouldn't stay slow. It took some run manufacturing, a homer-robbing catch, a hold without a pitch thrown and a slew of late moves, but they delivered.

A couple hours after Ryan Raburn's leaping grab at the fence kept the Rangers from pulling away, his two-out walk in the ninth inning loaded the bases and set up Miguel Cabrera in a situation where the Rangers couldn't walk him. Cabrera's single earned the Tigers a 5-4 win and cooled off the Rangers, who still have the Majors' best record at 9-2.

More importantly, it ended a three-game losing streak for the Tigers, whose 3-7 start and inconsistent offense had stirred worries that maybe this team wasn't as good as previously hoped.

Their answer wasn't in a homer barrage. Instead, the Tigers responded with perhaps their most balanced game of the year, and proof that they don't have to slug the ball to win.

"If we pitch, we'll be right in contention," Leyland said Tuesday morning. "If we don't, we won't. Because I think our offense will be fine."

Their offense did not produce a homer, and it produced just three extra-base hits off Rangers left-hander C.J. Wilson. One of those, moreover, was a bloop double from Casper Wells that dropped behind second baseman Michael Young in short right field. But the Tigers drove in five of the eight runners who reached base on a hit.

Instead of a walk-off homer, Detroit's game-winning rally came together with a Brandon Inge single, an Alex Avila sacrifice bunt and two walks from sidearming Texas right-hander Darren O'Day. The first walk came from Austin Jackson, whose return to the lineup showed much better at-bats than he had lately in his early struggles.

The second walk, from Raburn, came with two outs and left O'Day with no choice but to pitch to Cabrera. Again, O'Day fell behind, forcing him to challenge one of baseball's most dangerous hitters with a 2-1 pitch. Cabrera smacked a sharp grounder through the left side. He had barely touched first base before his teammates mobbed him.
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Read More- http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2011_04_12_texmlb_detmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=det

Big Frame · Apr 12, 2011

I wounder how Cabby is celebrating his game winning hit

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Tigers chip away before Cabrera caps walk-off

JustinVerlander35 Bringin' the Heat

Big Frame Well-Known Member

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Tigers chip away before Cabrera caps walk-off

JustinVerlander35 Bringin' the Heat

Big Frame Well-Known Member

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